Complete Family
by 27Tsu18Kyou
Summary: What if Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo had, not just a father, but a mother, too? Meet a blonde mutant as she experiences being a mother and all that comes with it.
1. Prologue

_Summary_: What if Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo had, not just a father, but a mother, too? Meet a blonde mutant as she experiences being a mother and all that comes with it.

"French"

**"Italian"**

"_Japanese_"

_'Thoughts'_

Prologue

It was dark and smelly as a young girl made her way through the sewer. Why is she in the sewer you might ask? Well it's because she got tired of the attention she constantly got from the surface. So what other way to get away from the annoyances than having to hide from them in your own home? Right under their noses.

So now, the girl was traveling through the poorly lit sewers with a song on her mind.

_'Playground school bell rings again_

_Rain clouds come to play again_

_Has no one told you she's not breathing?_

_Hello, I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to_

_Hello'_

She smiled a bit to herself as she continued on. The silver-tipped blonde turned to her left silently. As she continued walking, she heard the little scratches on the ground that signified a rat was present. She thought nothing of it and leisurely walked further.

Waaaahhh!

The physically 15-year-old girl stopped and listened to the sound. She could've sworn she heard a cry. When she heard it again, she quickly hurried in the direction it came from. She dodged the debris the littered the ground, ducked into a small opening that was big enough for her to get through, and moved toward the sound of rushing water. Oh. Did she forget that it was raining outside?

When she got to the source of the loud cry, she was shocked to see a turtle that looked to be fully grown stuck between two rocks in the rushing water. She knew it had to be hurt due to the small cracks and scrapes on the carapace. Also, can turtles cry?

_'Wait! I have no time to be sitting here while that turtle is in trouble! It's been a long while since I've had to be nimble, but there's no time like the present.'_ She thought frantically. The blonde quickly spotted a few stable rocks that she could jump on to get to the struggling and wailing turtle. She hopped to one of the many rocks and rapidly made her way to the weakening animal. When she was close enough, she noticed that its left hand was stuck between the crevice of the rocks it was laying on.

"Hey, little one. I'm gonna get you out of there as quickly as possible. But your hand may be hurt after this," she spoke in a comforting voice. The turtle seemed to have heard her over the rushing water and its crying, for it turned to look at her with squinted, baby blue eyes. The girl was stunned by such bright innocent eyes. They were so beautiful, but right now, she needs to get the turtle to safety. If memory serves her, turtles are cold blooded and it would be devastating if it died because of her negligence.

The steel-blue (think Hibari Kyouya) eyed girl swiftly wrapped one of her arms around the small body and used the other to carefully remove the three fingered (Wait! What?!) hand from its entrapment. The blonde gathered the whimpering, freckled turtle into her arms before darting back to where she came from. She wrapped the thin black jacket she wore around the shivering terrapin and held him towards her chest as she made her way back the way she came. She climbed out of the sewers into the night, raining sky and power walked back to her decent apartment. When she got there, she walked into her bathroom, turned on the bath water, and waited for the water to warm and fill to a small level.

"Little one. I can tell you are intelligent by the way you seem to look at me when I talk to you. I'm going to place you in the tub so we can get you clean and warm. I'll take one after you so we can go to sleep. From now on, I'll protect you and show you love. I hope you can understand that I would not do anything to hurt you. Besides, you're adorable~!" She conversed with him while she got ready to slowly put him in the tub. The blue eyed turtle looked wary as she lowered him down. But as soon as she did, he yelped and clung tighter to her arms. She quickly pulled him back when she noticed he started crying.

"Oh, dear. You must be really frightened." She commented. She scooped some water into one of her hands and gently let it fall onto his leg. He flinched before becoming curious about the soothing sensation. He leaned down into the tub and sloshed his hand around for a bit before growing a big smile on his face. When the girl saw this, she placed him in the water and watched as he played with the water. She added some bubbles and the young terrapin was squealing in delight. The blonde smiled and grabbed a wash cloth to start cleaning him.

After the little wash, the blonde wrapped the exhausted child in a big fluffy towel and carried him off to her bedroom. She laid him on his plastron and covered him with her royal blue covers. After bandaging his injured hand, she rubbed his head gently and whispered when she noticed his eyes drooping.

"I'll be right back, little one. I promise I won't take long." She said before gathering clean clothes and silently striding to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and got changed. She creeped back into her room to see that the little green terrapin had fallen asleep but still slightly shivering. The pale girl silently slipped in with him and wrapped the covers around them. She was almost asleep when she noticed that he had shifted closer to her and let out a happy sigh. She just smiled gently and wrapped an arm around him to share her body heat. As she dozed, a thought came to her before darkness dug its claws into her consciousness.

_'What am I doing?'_


	2. Chapter 1

**Last Time on Complete Family: **

_"I'll be right back, little one. I promise I won't take long." She said before gathering clean clothes and silently striding to the bathroom. She took a quick shower and got changed. She creeped back into her room to see that the little green terrapin had fallen asleep but still slightly shivering. The pale girl silently slipped in with him and wrapped the covers around them. She was almost asleep when she noticed that he had shifted closer to her and let out a happy sigh. She just smiled gently and wrapped an arm around him to share her body heat. As she dozed, a thought came to her before darkness dug its claws into her consciousness._

'What am I doing?'

* * *

><p><strong>An Hour Earlier<strong>

A humanoid rat traveled through the sewers with his new sons. It had been a few days since the five were mutated and they were coping well... Except when they would find ways to get in trouble. Namely Raphael and Michelangelo. The youngest seemed to always find some way to get on the older's nerves and that caused the human-turned-mutant-rat to have to break up plenty of their fights. The Japanese mutant didn't have much problem with the oldest and second youngest. Mostly because Leonardo tries to calm the other two down and to keep them from going off without the rest of them. Donatello was a very shy but curious terrapin. He would normally look around in fascination and delight, especially when he finds something new. Therefore, the two were no problem to care for.

Though for the family, disaster struck.

The family were traveling the sewers, looking for food. Splinter was in front of the crawling turtle toddlers but occasionally looked back to make sure they were all together. They family of five was nearing an intersection where water was rushing past. The gap wasn't too big so he jumped across since the other side was a bit higher than the tunnel they were in.

"Come along, my sons. I will pull you all over to me," he spoke soothingly. The oldest, Leonardo, was first to approach the ledge and stretched his arms out toward his father. Splinter struggled a bit to grab his hands but succeeded in hoisting him over to his side. Raphael was next and he was a bit harder since he was slightly shorter than Leonardo. Donatello was third and he was most easiest because he was the tallest. The last one, Michelangelo, he knew, was going to be the hardest since the youngest one was so small. The rat reached out his arms for the baby turtle to grab his hands. The baby blue-eyed terrapin reached out his arms as well to reach his father.

"Almost there, Michelangelo," the father encouraged. They were so close to reaching each other, but it was all for naught because almost as soon as the baby turtle touched the tip of Splinter's claw, he slipped into the roaring waters.

"Michelangelo!" Splinter called out in fear. Mikey was unable to answer in his baby garble since he was swept underwater.

The three brothers were all crying out when their baby brother disappeared. They tried to follow but their father held them back.

"We have to find him, quickly!" He said urgently. The male scooped the oldest three into his arms and hurried down the tunnel in the direction the water was flowing. Splinter was quiet as he ran down the dank sewer. When he was about to turn a corner, he heard footsteps splashing in the low level sewage water. His claws scraped across the ground as he turned to hide from the unknown.

When the person came from the see, he was surprised to see a beautiful young girl appear.

_'Why is there a human girl down here?' _He thought in confusion. The rat hid in the shadows as she walked past him with a small smile on her face. He was puzzled at why a human GIRL would be in the sewers but dismissed the thought when the blonde, from what he could tell, disappeared from sight.

Making sure that he could not see her any longer, the mutated human continued to search for his lost child.

The family of five minus one continued on their search for a few hours. When Yoshi-now-dubbed-Splinter made it to a tunnel where the fast-paced water slowed down significantly, he searched the whole area for his young, freckled son. When he could find no sign of the lost terrapin, he fell to his knees with tears streaming down his face.

"I am sorry, Michelangelo. So sorry..."

* * *

><p><strong>The Next Morning<strong>

When the teenager awoke 4 hours later, she laid in bed to recollect her memories. She stayed there puzzled as she shifted her sights down to the humanoid turtle that used her bicep as a pillow. She contemplated on how she was going to be able to care for him and do her music performances at the same time. She knew that people would become afraid of the little guy and want for his death. She knew that scientists will want to dissect the strange turtle because of the human-like qualities he shows. She knew all of this because of one fact.

She was a mutant as well.

But before we all get too curious, this blonde girl's name is Chantée. Just Chantée. She was kidnapped at the age of 5. Her parents had died not too long before she was put in an orphanage. Her captors forced her to fight in ninjutsu and a clinically insane, though intelligent, doctor mutated her a year later. At age 10, Chantée escaped. She was in Japan at the time, so she thought; what better way than to guarantee that you will never be found by your enemy?

Therefore, she moved to New York.

Chantée sighed and carefully got out of the bed without disturbing the snoozing, light-green turtle. She made her way to the kitchen and sat at the small table. She whistled twice and waited.

Before long, two white mice were seen darting out of a small mouse hole next to the refrigerator. They swiftly made their way up to the table that she was sitting at. When they did, she could see that one had a black underside while the other has brown.

"Bonjour, Kristen. Christian." (Good morning, Kristen. Christian.) Chantée greeted the two in French. The white and brown mouse greeted back formally while the white and black one did so casually. The former one grew a tick mark and slapped the later for his informality. The two then got into a fight.

Chantée sighed before tapping both on the head hard enough to make them hit the table.

"Calmez-vous, vous deux. Il n'importe pas si vous préférez être formel avec moi ou pas. En plus, il y a quelque chose de plus d'importance maintenant."(Please calm down, you two. It matters not if you prefer to be formal with me or not. Besides, there is something of more importance right now) She chided them gently. The mice perked up at this and questioned her on what it was.

"Il m'est arrivé de tombre sur une tortue dans les égouts hier soir. Il avait été emporté par le courant au cours de la pluie. Ce que je voudrais pour vous de faire pour moi est deveiller sur lui pendant un certain temps que je vais au magasin pour acheter certains éléments pour l'enfant. Cela ne signifie pas que vous êtes la cause une raquette pendant qu'il dort, Christian,"(I happened to stumble upon a turtle in the sewers last night. He had been swept away by the current during the rain. What I would like for you to do for me is to keep watch over him for a while as I go to the store to buy some items for the child. This DOES NOT mean that you cause a racket while he sleeps, Christian,) the blonde gave a pointed stare to the white and black mouse that looked away sheepishly (if mice could actually look sheepish), "Il a besoin de son repos. Donc, allez-vous faire pour moi?"(He needs his rest. So, will you do this for me?) She asked them. Kristen had already agreed before her brother could say anything and proceeded to drag the other by the tail into their master/mother/sister's room. Chantée merely chuckled before getting ready to make a small trip.

_'Hmm. I know I should get some foods that I could easily mash. Maybe some fruit as well. I'll need to stock up on more juice anyway so that's no problem. Maybe I should also get some toys and baby blankets for him. *sigh* So much to do.'_ She thought in resignation. The young girl continued walking through the wet streets of New York City.

When she got to the nearest store that was open 24/7, she got ready to search for everything that she would need for her new resident.


	3. Chapter 2

**Four Hours Later**

The mutant turtle slowly stirred wake. He opened his bleary eyes and stretched with a yawn. When he finished, he looked around in curiosity. The terrapin was not used to being in such a place, but he was certain that the person who picked him up so nice. She even let him play with those white, fluffy looking things in the the water!

"Are you awake, little one?" He heard a familiar voice question. The freckled turtle sat up and turned around to see the person from before standing with a gentle smile on her face. She came towards him slowly and knelt down so she was at eye level with him, "Are you hungry?"

The babe tilted his head to the left with blue eyes shining as he looked at this new person. She seemed really nice and she was pretty.

_Grooowwwl!_

Chantée laughed melodiously and scooped the blushing toddler into her arms. The two made their way to the kitchen where the blue-eyed terrapin smelled something delicious. He was seated into a chair with pillows that helped him see over the table. What he saw was a white circle thing that had wet, mushy stuff in it. There was a shiny thing with a round top next to it. A container with some orange liquid was on the other side of the white circle.

The nice lady sat to his left and lifted the shiny thing. She dipped it in the mushy stuff and brought it to his beak. The babe looked at it warily.

Chantée noticed and gave him an encouraging smile, "It's okay, young one. This is oatmeal. It's very delicious and healthy, too. Besides, you're too thin and small. I want you to grow up big and strong, okay?"

The terrapin looked at the food on the spoon again and opened his mouth. Chantée brought the oatmeal to his mouth and let him clamp down on the metal. When it was extracted, the freckled toddler's eyes widened. He hummed in joy before trying to take the spoon from the blonde. Chantée quickly pulled it from his reach.

"Calm down. I will give you more." She told him and scooped up more oatmeal. She spent a few minutes feeding and cleaning the terrapin. When he finished she gave him the baby bottle that contained apple juice. Chantée walked over to some bags that she sat on the kitchen counter and opened one of them. Inside was some toys and coloring books. Another bag had wooden building blocks and a mat. In the third bag was many toys resembling people, cars, buses, etc. There was some dinosaurs thrown in there as well.

Chantée looked back to the turtle inquisitively.

"Just what am I going to name you? I can't just keep calling you 'little one' though I think that will just be out of habit. Hmm..." She thought aloud. That's when she spotted a book that said **"Rinascimento Italiano"**. She recalled reading about some of the Italian artists and there was that caught her attention: Michelangelo. The reason for that is because her parents used to call her Angel when she was young and Michelangelo has "angel" in his name.

Watching the adorable terrapin roam around the floor of the kitchen, Chantée decided that he deserves the name.

"Michelangelo. Come here, sweetie," she called out to him. He turned around and crawled to her. She picked him up and held him close, "I got some toys for you to play with."

Chantée pulled out a red car from one of the bags and gave it to the curious Michelangelo. He wrapped his three-fingered hand around the small object and turned it every which way. He smiled brightly and laughed merrily. He was happy he got a toy to play with!

The sight of the turtle smiling and laughing gleefully sparked an intense feeling in the blonde. She had never felt the way she currently felt. It was new to her. It made her heart swell and caused her eyes to mist. So this was what she's been missing for 22 years. A child that made her want it, nurture it, and love it. Michelangelo is that child. Her new purpose to keep living. Her new reason to move on...

**Three Days Later**

It's been three days since Chantée adopted Michelangelo, and she's having a problem.

Michelangelo was not acting himself.

It had started yesterday. She had noticed that the small turtle would sit at the window in the living room and stare outside with a longing look on his face. She tried to cheer him up by trying to play some games with the melancholy child. Though whenever she tried, he would just curl up on the white and black couch and cry his eyes out. She was stumped at what to do, so she went onto her laptop and researched on behaviors of turtles. What she got back,was a list of things that could cause a terrapin to become upset and withdrawn. And there was this one reason that got her thinking: absence of family.

Chantée thought this could be the reason since the other ones were ruled out because she already attempted to do the solutions. At this, she could understand how it feels to miss someone or people close to you. The fact that she found him swept away in the sewers could mean that he may have been separated from his family. He is more intelligent than the average turtle, so he could possibly have family that were just like him.

With that thought in mind, the grey-blue eyed girl decided that they would be taking a trip back to the sewers. She gave two short whistles and the two mice appeared at her side.

"Préparez-vous. Nous allons à voyager les égouts. J'ai le sentiment que Michel-ange a de la famille là-bas." (Get ready. We are going to travel the sewers. I have a feeling that Michelangelo has family down there.) She told them. The twins nodded and disappeared. Chantée looked back at her sad little toddler and sighed. She slowly walked up to him sat down beside him. She stayed silent before speaking softly.

"_Piccolo_ (Little one)... You're missing your family, aren't you..." She spoke quietly. Michelangelo looked up at her with watery eyes. She smiled comfortingly and wrapped her son in her arms, "We'll be going to the sewers today to look for your family. If they are anything like you, maybe we could get them to live with us here. But if you don't want to come back, I understand. Just know that I'll always love you. My little Michelangelo."

Said terrapin looked into her eyes closely and snuggled into her chest. Chantée held him tightly while rubbing his head. She didn't want to let him go for fear that if she does, he will disappear from her life. She feared that she will lose herself if the one little light in her life was taken away forever.


	4. Chapter 3

_Said terrapin looked into her eyes closely and snuggled into her chest. Chantée held him tightly while rubbing his head. She didn't want to let him go for fear that if she does, he will disappear from her life. She feared that she will lose herself if the one little light in her life was taken away forever. _

**Several Minutes Later**

The small family of mutants made their way to the nearest alley where they could duck down into the city's sewers. Chantée had a royal blue, short-sleeve shirt, black pants, black jacket, and black rain boots. Michelangelo was wrapped in an orange baby blanket to help protect him against the cold winds and is asleep. Kristen and Christian were inside the light blue and white baby bag that hung off of Chantée's shoulder.

The blonde looked around to make sure no one was following them before disappearing from sight.

She searched the sewers for a good while before stopping because Michelangelo started getting fussy. She fed him some baby food that held little pieces of lettuce before continuing on her way. The twins popped their heads out and warned her that there was something up ahead. She granted them permission to scout and stayed hidden.

After waiting for a few minutes, Christian came back and informed her that there was a giant, humanoid rat and three turtles inside of an abandoned subway station.

_'This must be Michelangelo's family.'_ She thought as she silently made her way to where the mutant family was located.

When she got there, she carefully peaked around the corner and became surprised at the sight of a huge black and brown rat in a pinkish-red kimono. He was sitting seiza-style as he watched three little turtles roam/play around.

A dark green turtle kept head butting a turtle that was slightly lighter than him causing the other to get frustrated and tackle him. Another turtle with wide brownish-red eyes was crawling around with curious eyes as it ignored its siblings.

Seeing this caused Chantée lower her eyes with warmth. It was such a lovely picture, but she knew that there was something missing. Or rather, someone.

"Come out! I know you are hiding!" Came the stern voice of the man-sized rat. Chantée's eyes narrowed as she stepped from behind the wall. She stood tall and watched as the other herded his children behind him. The blonde locked eyes with him, and they silently studied each other. They were waiting for any indication that their opponent meant any harm.

"What are you doing here?" Questioned the humanoid rat. Chantée stayed quiet before answering emotionlessly.

"Returning what you lost."

Splinter barely lifted a white eyebrow.

"Oh? And what, pray tell, did I lose?" He shot back. Chantée looked into her arms, bringing the other's eyes to her carriage. She slowly lifted a hand and faintly noticed that the mutant tensed. She continued on and parted the blanket from the body pressed against her. Splinter watched warily as she revealed what she was holding. When she did, his eyes widened drastically.

There, in this girl's arms, was his missing son.

"Michelangelo..." He breathed. The blonde looked up at him, surprised, before slowly walking over to him. He waited anxiously as she came closer.

When she was but a foot away, he could clearly see the youngest turtle that he had been looking for since three nights ago. He was sucking food from a baby bottle and looking up at him with bright blue eyes. Splinter could not have been any happier. He looked up to the beautiful young girl in front of himself in question.

"How did you find him?" He asked. She tightened her hold on the little terrapin.

"I found him with his hand caught between some rocks a few days ago. He was swept by the current and was crying out. I was puzzled at his appearance at first, but knew that I needed to get him out of there. I know turtles are cold blooded and that I had to save him from freezing to death, so I took him in and cared for him." She confessed. Splinter stayed quiet for a while. He silently held out his arms in a gesture to hold his child. Chantée gave him the eating baby and took a few steps back. Splinter gazed down lovingly at his son and rubbed his cheek with one hand. Michelangelo took the bottle out of his mouth and giggled happily. He took the hand that rubbed against him affectionately in one hand and waved it around. Splinter smiled softly and nuzzled his babe.

Chantée looked upon the scene with sorrow. She knew just by looking at him that her little Mikey would be staying with his father. She couldn't blame him either. I mean, what parent wouldn't keep their lost child close to them?

She looked behind the two to see the three toddlers huddled together with wary looks. One had blue eyes, darker than Michelangelo, and was in front of the other two, trying to keep the other two away from her. The one with bright green eyes had a small scowl on his face as he glared at her. The taller one had brownish-red eyes that were looking at her in fear. She studied them for a while before her analysis was cut off by her two companions telling her that it was time to leave. The mutant family all looked to her in surprise or curiosity, sans Michelangelo.

"Normally, I would not allow myself to see someone close to me live like this, but I understand that you _'and myself' _all are not exactly humans. You finally have your lost child within your arms, and I know that I cannot separate a loving family such as this. If you so wish, I will never come back here. I just wish for Michelangelo, and all of your children, to grow up strong under their caring father." She spoke up quietly. Splinter looked to her in surprise for a moment. He could tell that she was genuine in her statement just by looking into her blue-grey eyes. There was no disgust nor fear in her body language and in her words. He saw that she truly wished them the best of luck despite her reluctance to part with the youngling she saved.

Christian spoke to Chantée urgently about her having to get a move on before she's late to perform. Kristen was the same, and it kind of annoyed her a bit that they persisted.

"Va bene. IO vado, voi due," (Alright. I am going, you two) she spoke quickly. The two rodents backed down and rested by her feet. Chantée look up into the wise eyes of the humanoid rat.

"Please take care of yourself and the little ones. They need at least one parent in their life. Oh! Here," she held out the baby-blue bag to him, "there are enough bottles in here for the other three, as well. There is baby formula and fresh lettuce in here for them. Mix the formula with fresh water and add in half a bottle of small pieces of lettuce. This will keep them full for a while, and I have enough formula in here that may last them a day or two... Well, I guess this is goodbye."

Splinter stayed quiet through the whole instruction. He watched the girl reach out to his youngest and rubbed his head. This blonde truly cared about the babe. Michelangelo grinned, not aware of the tension, and held a finger connected the hand of his mother figure.

"Goodbye, _piccolo_."

Chantée placed the bag on the ground and proceeded to walk out of the home to the five mutants. They all watched her go with varying expressions.

Michelangelo began making gurgling sounds toward her, but she did not stop. She did not look back. He kept up the sounds and tears began to form in his eyes. He wanted his mama. He didn't want her to leave. She was really nice and gave him toys! No! She can't leave! He won't let her!

She disappeared.


	5. Chapter 4

_She disappeared._

* * *

><p>"WAAAAAHHHHH!" Michelangelo burst out into heart wrenching cries. Former Yoshi Hamato tried to calm him down, but it was to no avail. The youngest terrapin kept weeping as he squirmed in the rat's arms.<p>

"Calm down, my son. What she is doing is for the best," the male tried to soothe.

When Michelangelo didn't cease crying, and nearly fell from his arms, Splinter decided that he could trust the girl to not reveal their whereabouts. Obviously, since she has cared for the little turtle for a few days. This means that she does not want any bad to befall his family. She has become a caregiver; a provider.

She became a mother.

Splinter sighed at this predicament and decided that it was best for the blonde to be in the children's lives. He wrapped the blanket around Michelangelo securely and lead his other, quiet, three sons outside of the lair. Splinter follows Chantée's scent to one of the tunnels that led to topside.

Before Chantée could lift the sewer cover off, she heard many footsteps and turned around to see the family that she was leaving behind approaching her.

_'Why...?'_ She thought in confusion. But before she could further ponder on this perplexity, her full attention was on her little terrapin who was crying his eyes out while reaching out to her. She immediately snatched the baby-blue eyed child out of his father's arms and into hers. Michelangelo clung onto his mother and buried himself into her body. His mama is here. She's not gone. He loves his mama.

"I believe Michelangelo would prefer it if you stayed." Splinter spoke softly. Chantée looked up at him in surprise. Did this mean that she could stay in the youngest turtle's life? Could she stay in all of their lives?

"And you do not mind? I don't want to intrude or anything," she said. Splinter smiled and placed a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"You are doing no such thing. His soul feels as though you are his mother. Despite the fact that he is so young, he knows that you are his parent. He does not want to lose you, and with you here, my other three sons may I also feel the warmth that your soul emits. We deserve a complete family: a mother, a father, and a child or children. Every child should have a mother's touch and a father's strength. I would not have it any other way," he explained. Chantée looked to her small child with a content expression. She got to stay. For good.

Then, she felt something wrap around her left leg. She curiously looked down and saw the shy turtle with his arms wrapped around her loosely. He trembled and clutched her pants leg and made cooing sounds.

Chantée smiled at him warmly and carefully stooped down on her knees to bring the reddish-brown eyed turtle into her arms. She was happy that one of the other three turtles were reaching out to her. It made her heart swell and brought tears to her eyes.

Leonardo and Raphael stood silent while they laid their eyes upon the scene. Splinter saw this and gently nudged them to the other three. The two crawled forward, and Leonardo tugged on the blonde's jacket's sleeve. She switched her attention to him and his younger brother. Before either of them could do anything, they were within the embrace of the older. They tensed before unwinding and snuggling into her arms. She felt safe to them. And really warm.

Mama...

**Five Minutes Later**

Chantée laid all four terrapins on the few blankets she kept in the baby bag and placed a thicker one on top of them. It was not too long since they fell asleep, and she and Splinter put them down for a nap.

"I have to go, now. I will be back, but I have a performance to get to. I'm already a bit late to get everything ready, but I'll be able to get there on time. Yet I still would like to thank you for letting me stay in your lives. I know this is a risk for you and the little ones, and I'm glad you trust me," Chantée rambled as she stood at the steps that lead to the front room of the lair. Splinter nodded with a smile and bid the 'human' a good night.

When she disappeared from his sight, he settled near his children and sat in a seiza position and begin meditating. He knew that things would get interesting soon.


	6. Chapter 5

_When she disappeared from his sight, he settled near his children and sat in a seiza position and began meditating. He knew that things would get interesting soon._

**Walking to a Bar**

Chantée was in a stunning blue and white dress and a small jacket to protect her arms from the chill. She had on low heels because of what she does, which requires her to stay on her feet for a while. Jewelry accentuated her features as she travelled to one of the most popular diners. When she got there, she was instructed to wait for a while and to get ready for her chance to perform.

It didn't take her long, and before she knew it, she was out on stage gazing out into a crowd of customers in lavish clothing. She waited for her cue to begin singing after the piano flew through the ears of those listening.

"_The whispers in the morning_

_Of lovers sleeping tight_

_Are rolling by like thunder now_

_As I look in your eyes"_

"_I hold on to your body_

_And feel each move you make_

_Your voice is warm and tender_

_A love that I could not forsake"_

Here, she controlled her voice as she went to fortissimo. Many of the customers were watching her performance with awe.

"_'Cause I am your lady_

_And you are my man_

_Whenever you reach for me_

_I'll do all that I can"_

Chantée went back down to piano. Her eyes were closed as she continued to sing.

"_Lost is how I'm feeling lying in your arms_

_When the world outside's too much to take_

_That all ends when I'm with you"_

"_Even though there may be times_

_It seems I'm far away_

_Never wonder where I am_

_'Cause I am always by your side"_

Her unused hand was suspended in the air right above the microphone to the side with palm facing the mic.

_"'Cause I am your lady_

_And you are my man_

_Whenever you reach for me_

_I'll do all that I can"_

_"We're heading for something_

_Somewhere I've never been_

_Sometimes I am frightened_

_But I'm ready to learn_

_Of the power of love"_

_"The sound of your heart beating_

_Made it clear suddenly_

_The feeling that I can't go on_

_Is light years away"_

You could hear the beauty and strength in her voice as she kept singing. Many people were hit with an intense sensation as they watched her perform.

_"'Cause I am your lady_

_And you are my man_

_Whenever you reach for me_

_I'll do all that I can"_

_"We're heading for something_

_Somewhere I've never been_

_Sometimes I am frightened_

_But I'm ready to learn_

_Of the power of love"_

_"The power of love_

_The power of love_

_Sometimes I am frightened_

_But I'm ready to learn"_

_"Of the power of love_

_The power of love_

_As I look in your eyes_

_The power of love."_

Chantée trailed off quietly. It was silent until the establishment erupted into a cacophony of people clapping, cheering, shouting and much more. Chantée merely smiled and bowed to the large crowd.

This was the life she lived.

**The Next Morning**

Leonardo sat up with a yawn before looking around. He saw that he was on something really soft and that his brothers were still sleeping next to him. He made a move to get up when a voice spoke up behind him, startling him in the process.

"Good morning, Leonardo." A sweet voice greeted him. He turned around and saw the nice mama from last night sitting next to his papa.

"Aahh..." Leo gurgled out as he started to crawl towards the two. Chantée and Splinter watched with warmth as the little terrapin made his way to them.

When he was close enough, Chantée scouted him into her arms and tickled him under his chin lightly. Leonardo giggled and tried to catch her hand but she would always tickle another spot, gaining more peals of laughter.

"I believe this is the most happiest I have seen Leonardo in the small time I have had him and his brothers. They do not always get to have such happiness as we have had to constantly move to avoid human activity down here." Splinter explains. Chantée gave him a questionable look before humming in thought.

"I see. Well, I plan to give them some fun and remodel this place. From what I know of the system and routes and the managers of the sewers, this place is hardly ever touched. You could also tell by how much webbing and dust you see down here. I'd say you have a fairly good chance of staying here for some years before anyone comes to check out this place, so don't worry about moving anymore." Chantée explained as she sat little Leo in her lap and made food for the child.

Splinter nodded his head in acceptance and saw that another one of his sons were waking up. It was the darker turtle, Raphael. The terrapin wiggled from the hold Michelangelo had on him and rubbed his eyes. He looked around, confused before seeing the tall rat-man and blonde girl. His emerald eyes watched as his older brother got fed out of some weird container that reminded him of when he was first born. He let out a chirrup seeing Leonardo eagerly feeding from the bottle. The blonde gave the slightly smaller turtle to Splinter and coaxed the younger one towards her. Raphael crawled over to her and was gently cradled between her crossed legs before she prepared another bottle.

"Good morning to you, Raphael," greeted the teen. Raphael cooed and waited a bit impatiently for the nipple to be placed into his mouth. Chantée softly giggled at the restlessness of the babe before conceding to his want. Raphael was contently sucking away at the food while he held onto the bottle with a little support from his mama.

"May I ask you a question, Splinter?" Chantée asked as she turned gunpowder-blue eyes to brunette ones. The humanoid-rat turned his attention towards the young woman and nodded.

"I do not mean to pry, but... I have noticed the shadows in your eyes. The shadows of guilt, betrayal, and deep seated sadness: as if you have lost something— or someone, of importance," at this, Splinter barely suppressed a flinch, "are you willing to tell me what happened and how you all came to be?"

The brown rat inhaled before letting out a deep sigh. He shifted Leonardo in his arms as his eyes gained a far away look.

"I do not mind answering your question, Miss Chantée, for this is a story that has both broken me yet gave me more to live for. It all started..."

And so Splinter, or as he was known as Hamato Yoshi, told the "human" girl how he lost his humanity but gained a mutant family. Chantée stayed quiet through it all, along with the two terrapins. It shocked yet amazed the blonde with how much such a caring man could go through and still keep living like he do, though she guesses that such strength came from him having someone— _someones _to live for. Though she was not too surprised about the mutation thing. After all, she knew a little _too_ much about what it was like to be mutated; though in the case of Splinter and the turtles, it was much quicker.

As he finished the tale, Chantée drowned in her own thoughts about revealing what she is and what had been done to her. It was a sore topic for her, but she gathered that when it came up, she would tell it all.

But, in the meantime...

_*Chu~*_

Splinter was surprised by the contact to his furred cheek. He stared stunned at the girl who gave him a blushing, warm smile.

"You have a really strong spirit, Splinter. I am honored to know such a kind person regardless of their state of being. Maybe, one day, I will tell you of myself. I feel I can trust you, but I am still under the effects of my past. Please excuse me for keeping such information from you," explained Chantée. Splinter gave an agreeing smile then their attention was drawn to the youngest two turtles.

Now that everyone was awake, the "lair", as Chantée jokingly called it, became more noisy. She and Splinter observed the tots as they interacted with each other and the toys Chantée brought from the apartment.

She noticed that Donatello would play with the shapes box and toys. He would scrutinize the plastic shapes and then look at the box to see which shape goes through which hole. She could tell that this one would be a very inquisitive one and, maybe, a little inventor judging by some of the building blocks around him in little towers.

Raphael would find any toy people he could find and use the one in his hand to beat them down. He would laugh as he knocked them over and then do it all over again. He was quick to anger when he noticed that Michelangelo tried to take one of the men away and would chase his brother off with the other tot laughing at his reaction. Chantée could definitely tell that the dark terrapin was a passionate, if violent, turtle.

Next was, as previously mentioned, Michelangelo. He was a very happy turtle as she knew from taking care of him. He was playful and full of smiles. He tried anything he could think of that would bring smiles to the other tots even if it meant being a bit upset at. She already knew that this fun little turtle loves attention and being surrounded by happy people.

Lastly, Leonardo. This child did not do much but he definitely seemed to worry for his brothers. Especially when one of them did something that caused them to hurt themselves. It was really sweet though she could also see a bit of a leadership quality in him. If he was not being occupied with something, he would be with his brothers and watching what they were doing before being roped in. He was generally quiet, almost like Donatello, but he always made an effort to stay with his brothers.

All in all, she could not ask for a better family. She would protect this mutant family with everything she has.

Even if it killed her.


End file.
